The process to select a new president for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Vadodara City unit turned contentious on Saturday, with two senior leaders clashing publicly at the party’s office. The dispute occurred as three election officers appointed by the BJP state executive were accepting nomination forms for the post.
Former Deputy Mayor Sunita Shukla and former Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) corporator Gopi Talati were at the centre of the argument, which broke out while both were waiting to make their cases for the position.
Talati has submitted his nomination for the city unit president role, while Shukla, currently the vice-president of the city unit, attended to support the renomination of the incumbent president, Dr Vijay Shah, for a second term.
The confrontation escalated when Shukla accused Talati of using “unparliamentary words” in discussions with his supporters. Videos of the exchange have since surfaced online.
Shukla said, “The comments made by Talati during his group discussion with supporters were reflective of the values of the faction.”
Talati strongly refuted the accusations, claiming they were baseless. “The accusations she has made are baseless and it is mainly because she must be considering my nomination as a threat to their leader of choice,” he said.
Shukla responded by reiterating her concerns: “I heard clearly when he mentioned to his supporters what he was capable of, which was unparliamentary language. I believe if there has to be a leader to lead the Vadodara unit, it should be someone transparent like Dr Vijay Shah. Sometimes, change is not necessary.”
The election process saw 44 aspirants submitting their nominations. Election officer Kushalsinh Padheriya confirmed, “We have received 44 forms filled as per the guidelines of age, criminal record, and party discipline. Now these forms will be sent to the executive committee. We will take opinions of the leaders and the elected representatives of Vadodara, and then the party will decide and announce the names.”
Co-election officer Dr Sanjay Desai highlighted that geographical and caste considerations would influence the final decision. He also noted that the party might choose a leader who has not submitted a nomination if deemed necessary.
Prominent contenders for the city unit presidency include Jigar Inamdar, former Mayor Sunil Solanki, sitting general secretary Satyan Kulabkar, former corporator and general secretary Rakesh Patel, and former Mayors Dr Jigisha Sheth and Bharat Shah.
Shah stated, “This is a democratic process of the BJP which happens every three years. If they hand over the responsibility to me, I will keep a balance between administration and organisation because I have held posts in the VMC as Mayor and in the Standing Committee.”
In the Vadodara district unit, the leadership selection process proceeded smoothly. Forty-three leaders, including current president and former Karjan MLA Satish Patel, current office bearer Yogesh Adhyaru, and former district president Ashwin Patel, have staked their claims.
Ashwin Patel, who unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls from Waghodia, is among the aspirants, as is former district panchayat president Ashok Patel of Por in Vadodara.
The BJP state executive will make the final decision after considering all inputs.
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